Who is calling the Shots?

What can you do to improve and develop a strategy that will empower your position? Think about the analogy of feeling like a pawn in the game of chess? 

"In chess, the pawn is, generally speaking, the least powerful of the pieces on the board. The pawn is used as a "foot soldier" by the player. They are an integral and vital part of the game, but are readily sacrificed by a player to achieve objectives. Looking at the pawn in this light reduces the pawn to the level of an instrument or a tool to be manipulated by the player."

"Now for the analogy."

"A person who feels like a pawn in a chess match is feeling used or treated as expendable to the purpose of someone else's ends. He's just a tool to be applied for another's gain, and no thought is given to his own worth by the individual making the decisions. The person who is a pawn is just a foot soldier in a big war, and the dangers he confronts and the personal risks to which he is exposed are lost to the shot callers who decide what moves, where it moves to, and when it moves. "

When there is uncertainty and resources are low, a high level plan to achieve goals becomes more necessary.  Then some of the best strategies to out wit adversaries are the ones that have no plan and the insight becomes available from your source and intelligent design.
Each of us must empower our position and be watchful for those moments of brilliance that create the best strategies. 

1. Show your power by demonstrating the capacity to handle responsibility.


2. Enhance your environment  so that it encourages you to grow your skills and mentor others.


3. Stimulate your creative energy where you empower your own ideas and decisions and this will secure your confidence and path for future ideas.


4. Seek complete freedom and autonomy over your tasks and resources.

Let us know what you think? Remember a pawn is really just a dedicated low-level follower.

Be sure you are in lead and calling the shots in your own life and be sure you have not collected a low level dedicated army of pawns when you get to the top!

Crossover and Turn Things ON in Business.

We need many keys to turn things on in business!  The best turn on is going directly to the source, right to the juicy stuff, remember there are techniques and skills for getting all answers to the who, what, when, where and the how, you can be sure these questions will tell you the story you need to hear to excite you.
  The one main key we all really need now that it is Spring and that is to flirt!  Yes, that's what I said, FLIRT, do this a little more in your business to get things going, flirt with an idea, flirt with your advertising/marketing, flirt with your customers, flirt with life.  For Goodness sakes, show more interest, flirting implies you are interested in another, turn it on a little, love a little more. When you Crossover and turn it on you will improve all the areas of your business, plus it will feel good for you, an experience that gets you going, so get flirty and a little sexy with your business.
If you are not feeling flirty and you need a little nudge, here are some business foreplay tips to turn you on and get you and your customers wanting more.

1. Get in the mood, do what it takes to get into a flirty business mindset for your customers sake! What gets you excited and jazzed up for more sales, better marketing, planning, financials, social media? How do you fill up your energy with excitement?  Maybe enjoy a good business chat with a biz wiz or take a bath, go to yoga, stretch it out, do housework, go for a nature walk, dress up, now go out and practice flirting!
2. Take your time, never rush the steps in business, consider everyone's needs, including your own as you check off the tasks on your list, laugh and enjoy the journey of business.  Appreciate the process and this will allow you to have more consideration and appreciation for your customers needs. 
3. Develop anticipation, heighten all the senses, yes, when you can provide anticipation for your customers it's really quite exciting for both of you. Only give a little at a time, when you give it all away there is no anticipation, be confident, fun, interesting and leave them wanting more.
4. Make it an experience,  it has to be memorable, an experience that is worth waiting for and one your customers will be wanting to come back for too.
5. Be light and gentle, remember kindness in business always,  if you keep things light, positive and gentle with yourself in business, your customers will feel this energy too, certainly, we all want to do business with someone who is kind.
6. Compliment and communicate, always important to give lots of compliments and enjoy the ones in return, communicate in every way, a smile goes for miles, we all need them!  You will feel fed and informed and so will your customers!
7. Keep moving, never stay in the same spot, go the extra step, change up, refresh, create new ideas, new moves and creative solutions. 
8. Take control, tell it like it is, be upfront and honest, share how you do things your own special way, what you like, what's important to you, show you have integrity and ability, customers will sense your authourity on the job!  Great Work, keep it up!

10 WAYS TO ENHANCE YOUR BUSINESS

Caterina Alberti

10 WAYS TO ENHANCE YOUR BUSINESS

1. Spend time in nature to connect, strengthen and nurture your entrepreneurial spirit. 
2. Meet with brainstorming partners to communicate in creative and stimulating conversations that you both thrive from.
3. Be the stream catcher and net all the ideas that flow in, carry a notepad with you at all times or even better a voice recorder.
4. Create an outline for your business ideas and let it take shape for all the pieces to fit in.  
5. Take stock of your actual resources and  potential resources and make time to replenish your natural resources.
6. Add more depth in your business, the kind of dimension that sets you apart from others, that says you are unique, adventurous, kind, thoughtful, efficient, colourful, fun, interesting and consistently great value.  How are you adding depth to your business?
7. Engage in your community in the various stages of development and nature of your business. 
8. Discipline and management of your environment and  resources with a focus on the affects of quality of life for both present and future generations.
9. Develop your show on the road, plan to reach out to meet and greet everywhere you go, remember every person is a partner in the moment. 
10. Express the primary source of your business with a signature that is the most direct connection to you.  This will speak for itself, capture the raw data, reliability and work that can be easily passed from one person to another.

Where have all the pollinators gone?

Who are the pollinators in your community and is your business creating the best environment for these pollinators to provide all the key ingredients for local businesses and community life to flourish?  We can draw some parables with the pollinators in nature such as the bees, beetles, insects, moths, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds they all play a very important role in nature.  How important?  Let's have a look, "these pollinators strongly influence ecological relationships, ecosystem conservation and stability, genetic variation in the plant community, floral diversity, specialization and evolution." This activity is so important that Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".
Did Albert Einstein make a direct relation with nature to our people pollinators too?   I don't recall him mentioning that there are people in our communities that play a similar and very important role as the hummingbirds, bees and bats, etc.  in our gardens of business?  These people pollinators love to touch your spirit in special ways, light up your day with a laugh, share stories and in business these same people will spread the good word about you that will travel fast and far!
If you do not recognize them, hear them or see their beauty and you do not know who they are at first glance then please take a very important moment and have a scan of the people you know. 
 In these few moments ask yourself who are the ones in your community that share ideas readily, chat with you or a stranger without hesitation, invite you in to know special secrets, introduce you to others and offer new adventures and new things, reach out and share opportunity, stories, knowledge, connect you with other communities, believe in you, know the next greatest ideas and trends in advance?
  Is this you? Or do you know someone like this?  If you do ask yourself how much have you really paid any attention or valued these people and the wonderful qualities they have or do you think of them as nuisances in your garden of life?
Do you consider the  bees, beetles, hummingbirds and bats pesky little creatures in your garden and do you find ways to remove them and poison them.  Or do you plant the flowers, trees and raise up your bats houses to encourage these lovely creatures to return to your garden year after year?

Many times these lovely creatures are taken advantage of and used for their beauty, like the coloured sugar water induced feeders set up as traps for the return of the beautiful hummingbird that travels thousands of miles across the continent.  People pollinators have been fooled over the years too by these false enticements, lures and faces in business and never return!
Did you know that in nature huge amounts of pesticides are used and gets into the soil and this is one of the reasons for a rise in diet related diseases in humans and destruction of these natural pollinators. The same thing is happening to people pollinators too they are getting sick at an alarming rate from all the negative energy, terrible service, undermining and under value for their ability to energize and lift the business community to it's full bloom and natural thriving state!

  Remember pollen is like the protein for your business, did you know " the ability for the honey bee to communicate to other bees in the colony where to go for collecting more nectar is very important for their efficiency as pollinators.  And did you know when there is a lack of bees, not all seeds will develop, and the shape of the fruit will be poor and small. When a scout bee has found a good nectar source, she will return to the colony and communicate to all the other bees with a special dance indicating the quality and direction of the nectar source.
There are these key people in your community who can influence relationships and in doing so they conserve and stabilize the local economy, create the variety and diversity of followers, spread the word of your specialty for your business evolution.  People pollinators will rise in numbers if you treat them well, provide the environments filled with kindness, value and sweet nectar so they can spread the light and their special service.  So I ask you how are you preparing your business environment to nourish and encourage your people pollinators to spread the pollen and good vibes of your business?
More to come on this interesting topic...
Ciao Caterina

SINGLE MOTHER ENTREPRENEURS

Single mothers know what it takes to run a family and the household, balance the budgets, plan and save for the future, organize the house, the family events, feed the family, praise and raise their children and others to be their very best.   A single mother is much more they are the father and the mother all rolled into one we are the bread winners, the nurturer, the disciplinary, the carpenter, the nurse, the plumber, the mechanic, the chef and the teacher and the alchemist.  It is a very large load to carry and carry on we must, we have children to feed, to clothe, to wash, and clothes and floors to wash, mortgages to pay and houses to maintain.  No job is too humble, we are humbled by our job and we know we must do what we can with what we have and sometimes that's not a lot, with a mother's love there is always just enough to go around!  Mothers save the day everyday!
Oh did I mention we are the best entrepreneurs, single mothers know how to handle all the issues big or small, they can turn a crisis into a breezy day, they resolve, find solutions, happy endings and new beginnings. Great patience, endurance, determination, practicality, discipline, kindness and generousity to name a few are the qualities of a mother and a single mother must learn to thrive under the greatest of all responsibilities raising her family on her own.  Mother earth gives, shares, supports and loves, kisses every new seed when it rains, smiles with the sun, warms our soul with her touch only a mother knows how to embrace and nurture so your true self shines. 

THE LIGHT OF TRUST!

IN BUSINESS?

You are as good as your word was the gold standard for defining trust.  A handshake served as the action which sealed the deal. Trust was built on  the steady actions, communications and sincerity of commitment to the words which were sealed with a handshake of trust.  To look face to face with open and transparent conversations that both parties agree upon and fulfill is where trust begins.  When was the last time you gave your word to someone and sealed it with only a handshake? Relying on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of another person in full confidence and hopes. One must feel this same trust within themselves or have created a culture built on trust to provide this service in their business.  It takes a great deal of care and focus for the other and the ability to extend this into their daily actions.   Often businesses over extend themselves and promise more than they are capable of providing or it is a matter of setting better boundaries, so one can maintain honesty, kindness and confidentiality in business.  A coach assists you to build and repair trust within your own heart first, this is certainly where the ability to create trust in relationships and therefore business all begins. I believe trust can be repaired as it is a matter of understandings, communications, unconditional love and actions. A confidence in the certainty of the future based on trust, even if all failed you are certain, optimistic and positive that everything will always be alright.

 The speed of light is a heart of courage and love, trust is the gift!

A sincere focus/concern for the other where your values are what drives you to behave in a trustworthy manner.
Being able to place yourself in the shoes of another, a heart of compassion.
Engaging and listening with a personal touch
Actionable next steps with a commitment and movement for both parties is key.
A collaborative approach and willingness to work together, creating both common goals and joint ways to reach the destination.
A relationship perspective that is more long term, where the relationship is nurtured over time and loyalty is developed.
Openness and transparency in the relationship at all times.

Invest in the relationship by performing tasks reliably with benevolence and acting in alignment with acceptable ethical principles such as kindness, fairness and honesty.  Bring light with a heart filled with full confidence in another!  

May the speed of light open doors so you may walk through with both love and courage in your heart to enhance and improve the way we do business!  

Caterina Alberti,CEC

Crossover Coaching

FOUNDATION FIRST! ~ What is your core promise?

Building a strong foundation - begins with small stones, each one accumulated over a period time will hold you in the storms. We are certainly bombarded today by others truth and if you get distracted easily with all the confusing messages it is because this is not your truth nor is it your knowledge it belongs to someone else.  If you become too wrapped up in some other truth you forget your own, yes, your very own truth, your very own knowledge and experiences you have gained in your own walk.
Think like a Mountain and do not let others erode your foundation, with a keen eye on quality and your promise your business will transcend the limitations of time. You will have the perseverance and stamina of a mountain goat to reach the top.
Stand out in the crowd, shine what is your truth, your story, it's time to crossover and lead from what is uniquely you, we want to see you, hear you and get to know you. With a steady foundation, you will achieve the goals that promise to be the next stepping stones on the road to success.
What are your personal pillars? Know your special qualities, these special resources and secure them in the ground so when you need to make change it can be easily done without too much disruption.  Good foundations can build great connections and lead you to some really beautiful and amazing networks. 
 Your belief, love, and unwavering commitment to the quality of your product and the promise it delivers is a very important part of your foundation.  Innovation, adaptable and integrative are the continuing securities of a strong foundation, have an adventurous heart and open mind while staying true to the core promise~Foundation First!